Consecutive photodissociation of a single complex molecular ion

Using the positively charged aniline ion (C6H5NH2+) as a test molecule, we demonstrate that it is possible to study consecutive photodissociation of complex molecular ions at the single molecule level in an ion trap. When a single C6H5NH2+ ion is exposed to laser light at 397 nm and 294 nm, direct or consecutive photodissociation leads to the production of a range of smaller polyatomic molecular ions such as C5H6+ and C3H3+. The applied method is very versatile and can, e. g., be used in combination with free electron lasers or synchrotron radiation sources.